Another Ball, Another Broken Heart
by harryginnyluv4ever
Summary: There is another ball at Hogwarts, but who is Ron going to ask? Will Ginny succeed as matchmaker? Read to find out! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I am not J.K. Rowling. Do the math.

Ginny burst into Hermione's dorm with a large grin on her face. "Hermione! There's going to be a ball! I can't believe it! I wonder if Harry will ask me! I hope he does, I mean, I know he liked Cho last year, but-"

"Ginny, slow down! Okay, so there's a ball? When is it?" asked Hermione, beginning to get a bit interested.

"It's two weeks from tomorrow," said Ginny, still grinning like a maniac. "I'm so excited! I bet Ron will ask you this time."

"Ron? Why would he ask me?" asked Hermione, her cheeks glowing pink.

"Oh come on Hermione, you two are so _obviously_ in love with each other," said Ginny, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, well, alright, so maybe I do like him. That doesn't mean he likes me," said Hermione, although she was pretty sure Ron had been showing some interest in her lately.

"I knew it! I knew you liked him!" shrieked Ginny, dancing around Hermione in circles.

Hermione, who didn't really know how to respond, busied herself with straightening a pile of books on her bureau.

A week later, Harry had asked Ginny to the ball. Ginny was ecstatic, and was determined to get Ron and Hermione together. Ginny decided to talk to Harry about it, to see if he had any ideas on how to go about this.

"Hi Harry," said Ginny, coming to sit with Harry in the library. "What are you doing?"

"Charms homework," he replied, searching through a large pile of notes lent to him by Hermione.

"Oh, okay. I don't mean to bug you, but can I ask you for some advice?" asked Ginny.

"Sure, go ahead," said Harry, setting his quill on the table.

"Do you think Hermione and Ron would make a good couple?" asked Ginny.

"Um, I don't know, I guess so," he said, looking uncomfortable. He didn't really know where this conversation was headed.

"I think we should try to get Ron to ask Hermione to the ball," said Ginny. "Do you have any ideas as to how we could do this?"

_When did this become "we"?_ thought Harry, fiddling with the silver chain around his neck.

"Er, Ginny, he already asked Luna Lovegood to the ball, didn't he tell you?" asked Harry.

"What! How could he? He's in love with Hermione!" yelled Ginny, earning herself a reproachful glare from Madam Pince.

"I don't know, you'd have to ask him," said Harry, cowering under the stare of the slightly hysterical Ginny Weasley.

"Oh I will, and he's going to wish he'd never been born," mumbled Ginny, storming out of the library and slamming the door behind her.

"Now really!" Madam Pince shouted at Ginny's retreating back. "People are trying to work in here!"

While Ginny was on her way to find Ron, she ran into Hermione. Ginny was startled to see that Hermione's eyes were red from crying.

"Hermione, are you okay?" asked Ginny.

"He asked Luna!" exclaimed Hermione. "She told me at lunch, I can't believe him!"

Hermione pulled Ginny into a hug and broke down, sobbing onto Ginny's shoulder. Ginny felt sorry for her friend, she could remember what it was like to not be noticed by your crush.

"Oh Ginny, I feel so stupid for thinking he liked me! I guess it was just wishful thinking, but it still hurts!" sobbed Hermione.

"He's an idiot Hermione, don't waste your time crying over him," said Ginny, trying to calm her friend. "I'm going to go find out what this is all about, I'll see you later."

Ron was coming through the portrait hole when he was tackled by Ginny. She shoved him into a chair and stood over him, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Ron was reminded unpleasantly of Mrs. Weasley.

"Well! What have you got to say for yourself?" asked Ginny. Ron could have sworn that there was smoke coming out of her ears.

"Um, what?" he replied sheepishly, not meeting her eyes. Ginny snorted.

"You asked Luna to the ball, you weren't supposed to!" exclaimed Ginny angrily.

"Why not? And why is it any of your business?" said Ron defensively.

Ginny stomped her foot in frustration. _Ron is so clueless!_ she thought angrily.

"Hermione is in tears, she thought you were going to ask her!" Ginny told him, still glaring at him in disgust. "In case you haven't noticed, she's madly in love with you!"

Ron made some strangled noises, his bright blue eyes wide. "What d-did you s-say?"

"Boys" muttered Ginny, deciding that he was hopeless and going up to her dorm.

A/N: I guess I'll leave it here for now. I'll update soon, if I can figure how to post the next chapter. I'm a bit computer-challenged, so if it's not up in a week, that's probably why.

Please review, if I get reviews I might be inspired to write longer chapters!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron knew he needed to talk to Luna and Hermione. He'd had no idea that Hermione liked him that way. He didn't really like Luna, he had only asked her out because he had felt like he should get over Hermione and start looking at other girls. Obviously, he had been wrong.

Ron had been looking all over the castle for Luna, and he wasn't having any luck in finding her. He was just about to head back to the common room when he saw her coming towards him.

"Hello Ronald, where are you headed?" asked Luna, her large eyes gazing into his, making him quite uncomfortable.

"I was looking for you, where have you been?" he asked.

"I've just been walking around the grounds and I was on my way back to the common room," answered Luna. "I need to talk to you about the ball, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, sure," said Ron. "Actually, I'd been hoping we could talk about that. You see, the thing is-"

"Neville asked me," interrupted Luna. "I didn't give him an answer, and I don't want to seem rude, but would you mind if I went with him instead?"

"Uh, sure, go ahead," said Ron.

"You're sure?" asked Luna. "It's not that I don't like you as a friend or anything…"

"I understand," said Ron, trying to keep from laughing at the situation. Here he was being dumped by Luna Lovegood, for Neville, of all people! He wasn't sure why he found this so funny, but he was nearly bursting with laughter.

"Thanks for being such a good friend Ronald, I knew I could count on you," said Luna, smiling as she walked away.

As soon as she left, Ron raced back to the common room to find Hermione.

Hermione was sitting by the fireplace with Crookshanks in her lap when Ron burst through the portrait hole.

"Hermione, can I talk to you?" asked Ron, collapsing onto the couch next to her.

"What do you want?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the fireplace.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know I've been a jerk lately. I should have asked you to the ball, not Luna."

"You're right, you have been a jerk," said Hermione, standing up to look at him. "You've been leading me on for months, years actually, and then you ask Luna Lovegood to the ball instead of me! How was that supposed to make me feel?"

"I know, I'm really sorry," he repeated, looking down at his feet. "She's not going with me anyway though."

"Why not?" asked Hermione, softening slightly.

"She dumped me for Neville," Ron explained, chuckling slightly at the memory.

Hermione giggled and sat back down beside Ron, who was very relieved that she wasn't angry anymore.

"So, can you forgive me for being such a prat?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with hope.

"I guess so," said Hermione, letting out a huge yawn. "Well, I'm heading off to bed, okay? Goodnight Ron."

"Wait, Hermione, one more thing," he said. "Will you, um, go to the ball with me? Please?"

Hermione's eyes flashed angrily as she spun around to face him.

"I don't want to be a last resort Ron, I want you to _want_ to go with me!" she said. "How can you be so insensitive? I've been crying over you all afternoon, and you expect me to just say yes? I'm going to bed, I've had enough." And with that, she ran up the stairs and into her dorm.

"I can't believe it, I messed up again!" shouted Ron angrily. Crookshanks looked at him with distaste. "What are you looking at, bloody cat!"

The next day, Ron told Harry about his and Hermione's fight. He couldn't understand why Hermione kept switching moods and getting mad at him.

"Ron, I think you hurt her feelings," said Harry, after Ron gave a detailed description of the previous night's events.

"Me? How did I hurt her feelings?" asked Ron, hoping Harry could make some sense of this.

"Well, I'm no expert on feelings or anything," said Harry. "But I think you should have waited a while before asking her to the ball. You know, give it a few days to blow over or whatever."

"Why? I mean, she wanted me to ask her, so I did. I don't get it," said Ron, pulling at his hair in frustration.

"I don't know, maybe you should talk to her a bit more before asking her again," suggested Harry.

"Who said I was going to ask her again?" said Ron.

"Look, you like her, she likes you, don't complicate things so much," said Harry. "Anyway, I told Ginny I'd go with her to visit Hagrid, so I've got to go. Good luck with Hermione."

"Yeah, see you later," said Ron, trying to decide what to do about Hermione.

Hermione was in her dorm, talking to Lavender about Ron. She wasn't sure if this was the best person to go to for advice, but she was desperate.

"So let me get this straight," said Lavender, while painting her nails bright purple. "He asked you, and you said no, and now you're mad at him?"

"Yes," said Hermione, trying to get Crookshanks out from under her bed.

"Well, why?" asked Lavender.

"Why what?" asked Hermione, getting a large scratch from Crookshanks.

"Why are you mad at him?" asked Lavender.

"He asked Luna first, he shouldn't just come crawling back to me every time he gets dumped," answered Hermione, giving up her battle with Crookshanks and sitting on her bed.

"Look Hermione, I'll be honest with you," said Lavender, putting her nail polish away and facing Hermione. "He didn't mean to be rude; he thought he was doing the right thing. Guys just don't get it I guess, but maybe you should tell him how you feel."

Hermione contemplated this for a bit, and then decided that she needed to talk to Ron.

Thank you very much to jeevesandwooster for reviewing! I love reviews; they make me want to keep writing!

I know I left Ginny out of this chapter, but I promise she'll be back for the next one!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Ron and Hermione ran into each other at the bottom of the stairs. Both stared blankly at each other for a minute, and then burst into apologies.

"I'm really sorry Hermione, I was tactless and I shouldn't have just asked you right after hurting your feelings like that," said Ron.

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have expected you to be able to read my mind," said Hermione.

"So, are we friends again?" asked Ron, giving her his adorable lopsided grin.

"Actually," Hermione took a deep breath and went in for the kill. "I was hoping we could be more than friends…if you want."

"You mean, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?" asked Ron, his eyebrows raised.

Hermione nodded, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"I'd like that," said Ron.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around him.

"So, does this mean you'll go to the ball with me?" asked Ron, wanting to make sure he got this right.

"Yes," said Hermione, smiling at him.

_Finally!_ thought Ron, very happy with the progress they'd made.

Ginny and Harry came into the common room to find Ron and Hermione holding hands.

"Oh my gosh, you're holding hands!" exclaimed Ginny, rushing over to the couple. "Are you two…?"

"Yes, we're a couple," said Hermione, smiling. She liked the way it sounded. She and Ron were a _couple_.

Ginny shrieked and grabbed them both in hug, thoroughly scaring Ron.

"Congratulations guys," said Harry happily.

"Thanks mate," said Ron, his arm around Hermione. "What about you and my little sister? Are you two a couple?"

Ginny blushed. "Er, I don't really know, we haven't talked about it," she said, not meeting Harry's eyes.

"I'd like to, if you, you know, want to," mumbled Harry, looking down at his feet.

"Yes," said Ginny simply. "I would love to."

Harry grinned and reached out to hold Ginny's hand. Ginny smiled, and placed her hand in his.

"Aw, how sweet," said Ron, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "They grow up so fast."

They all laughed and spent the rest of the afternoon playing exploding snap and wizard's chess.

At supper, the two new couples came in holding hands. Hagrid noticed this first, and came up to them beaming.

"Finally!" he boomed, causing people to look up in alarm. "I bin sayin' it fer years, I knew you'd end up fallin' fer each other!"

The four teens started to blush because almost everyone in the Great Hall was staring at them. Hagrid pulled them all into a bone-crushing hug, almost lifting them off the ground.

"Er, Hagrid, I can't breathe!" gasped Hermione.

"Sorry 'bout that, I'm jus' so happy!" exclaimed Hagrid, walking back to the teacher's table.

They sat down at the Gryffindor table and were congratulated by everyone.

"You guys are finally together! I'm glad my advice worked!" squealed Lavender.

"Took you long enough," said Seamus, his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"Ew! Seamus don't talk with your mouth full!" exclaimed Parvati, shooting him a look of disgust.

Dean laughed at him, but was silenced with a glare from Parvati. He quickly went back to eating his supper.

"So, are you guys looking forward to the ball?" asked Ginny, while buttering her potatoes.

"Definitely, I can't wait!" said Lavender. "I bought new dress robes last Hogsmeade weekend."

"I got new ones last summer," said Hermione. "I liked my old ones, but they were too short for me this year."

"Bill got new dress robes for me for Christmas last year," said Ginny. "He got them in Egypt."

The boys weren't interested in this conversation, so they ate mostly in silence.

I know this short, but the next chapter will probably be the ball, so I wanted to stop here. I hope you liked it! I'll try to post the next chapter tomorrow, if I can!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or "Let Me Love You" by Mario.

A few days later, it was the day of the ball. Lavender, Parvati, Hermione, and Ginny were in the girl's dorm getting ready for the ball. They didn't have to be in the Great Hall until 7pm, and it was only 5:30, but they knew it would take a while to tame Hermione's hair.

Lavender was trying to curl Hermione's hair while Parvati applied her make up. Ginny was in front of the mirror, trying to figure out what she could do with her own hair.

"Maybe I should crimp it," said Ginny. "That would look alright, wouldn't it?"

"But Harry's already seen you with crimped hair, you've got to look different," explained Parvati, while she put sparkly gold eye shadow on Hermione.

"When did he see me with my hair crimped?" asked Ginny.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," answered Lavender. "You could just leave your hair like it is."

"No, I want to do _something_ to it, I just don't know what yet," said Ginny. "I think I'll put some sparkles in it. Do any of you have spray sparkles?"

"I have some in my trunk," said Parvati. "Use as much as you want."

"Thanks," said Ginny, searching through Parvati's trunk.

"Don't put too much make up on me, Parvati," said Hermione. "I want Ron to be able to recognize me."

"Don't worry, I'm almost done," said Parvati.

Meanwhile, the boys were getting ready for the ball in their dorm.

"My hair still won't lie flat!" complained Harry, combing his hair furiously.

"Why does it matter, it never lies flat anyway," said Ron. "Do my robes look okay? I don't really know if royal blue was the best color."

"You two are mental, obsessing over yourselves like girls," said Dean, smoothing wrinkles out of his scarlet robes.

Harry and Ron went back to fixing themselves up in silence.

An hour later, the boys were waiting for the girls in the common room.

"Why are they taking so long?" complained Seamus.

Lavender came down first. She was wearing silver dress robes and her blond hair was done up with flowers.

"You look wonderful Lavender," said Seamus, as she took his arm.

Parvati came down next. Her robes were pale yellow, and her hair was set in loose waves.

Dean was practically drooling as she took his arm. "Wow, I mean, you look…wow."

Parvati giggled. "Thanks Dean. You look wow too."

Ginny was the next to come down. Her hair, covered in gold sparkles, was in a fancy twist at the back of her head with a few loose pieces curled around her face. Her dress robes were blood red and low in the neck.

"You can't wear that!" said Ron. "It's too revealing! Go upstairs and put on a turtleneck or something!"

Ginny rolled her eyes at him and took Harry's arm.

"I think you look lovely, Gin," said Harry.

Ginny smiled at him, then stuck out her tongue at Ron.

Ron mumbled something and looked away from his sister.

Ron gasped as Hermione came down the stairs. Her hair, no longer bushy, was in shiny ringlets that landed just below her shoulders. Her dress robes were made of a shiny turquoise material that brought out her honey colored eyes.

_I hope I look okay, everyone is watching me!_ thought Hermione, trying not to stumble in her high-heeled shoes.

She took Ron's arm and looked up at him nervously. She felt a bit self-conscious since she almost never dressed up.

"You look beautiful, 'Mione," said Ron, trying to pull himself together.

"Thanks Ron, you don't look too bad yourself," she replied, smiling warmly.

"Do you guys want to go down now?" asked Ginny.

Everyone nodded and they made there way down to the Great Hall.

When they got to the ball, the song "Let Me Love You" by Mario was playing. The girls grabbed the guys and started dancing.

_I hope I don't step on her feet!_ thought Ron, as he and Hermione danced.

_He looks nervous, I wonder why?_ thought Hermione.

Ginny and Harry were dancing nearby, gazing lovingly at each other.

_Please kiss me, please kiss me, please kiss me…_thought Ginny, as she gazed into Harry's emerald eyes.

_I wonder if I should kiss her? _thought Harry, trying to make his decision. _Ron is right there, he might kill me if I kiss her. I wonder if she wants me to? Girls are so hard to read, why do they have to be so confusing? Oh well, here goes nothing._

Harry lowered his lips to Ginny's nervously. Ginny kissed him back eagerly, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck.

_Yay! He kissed me! Harry Potter actually kissed me! _thought Ginny happily.

_Potter better keep his hands off my sister!_ thought Ron. _Uh oh, does Hermione expect me to kiss her? I've never kissed anyone before. What if she-_

But Ron's thoughts were cut short as Hermione stood on tiptoes to kiss Ron.

Dumbledore smiled as he watched the two couples dancing together. _It's good for them to have some happiness in the middle of this war. Especially Harry, I'm glad he finally found what was right under his nose all along._

When the song ended, everyone sat down at an empty table.

"Would you like me to get you a drink, Ginny?" asked Harry.

"Yes please," said Ginny.

"Er, Hermione, would you like a butterbeer or something?" asked Ron.

"That would be lovely," replied Hermione, giving him a warm smile.

After the boys left to get drinks, the two girls immediately went over what had just happened.

"He kissed me!" exclaimed Ginny. "I can't believe it; it was like he could read my mind!"

"I kissed Ron too," said Hermione excitedly. "It was perfect."

"Ew, I can't believe you think kissing my _brother _is perfect!" said Ginny, pretending to gag.

Hermione laughed and got a dreamy look on her face, remembering their kiss.

Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were talking to each other at the refreshments table.

"Are you mad at me for kissing Ginny?" asked Harry nervously, grabbing two butterbeer for him and Ginny.

"No, but you better not hurt her, Harry," warned Ron, also taking two butterbeer. "She really likes you, and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"I know Ron, I feel the same way about her," replied Harry, relieved that Ron wasn't to going to murder him in the middle of the Great Hall.

"Good, let's go back to the girls," said Ron, leading the way back to the table.

Just as Harry and Ron sat down and passed around the butterbeer, Dobby joined them.

"I is hearing that Harry and Miss Wheezy is dating! I is so happy for yous both!" exclaimed Dobby, wrapping himself around Harry's legs.

"Er, thanks Dobby," said Harry. "You look, um, nice tonight."

Dobby was wearing a bright orange sock, a pink and red striped sock, a bright yellow raincoat, a pair of blue shorts with yellow polka dots, and a straw hat with large fake flowers on it.

"Thank you Harry Potter, you is too kind to Dobby," said Dobby, looking as though he was about to cry with happiness. "I has to be going; I is needed in the kitchen."

"Bye Dobby," said Ginny, struggling to hold in her laughter.

As soon as he left, the four of them burst out laughing.

The rest of the night went well, and at midnight everyone was told to head back to the common room. The two couples walked back holding hands.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight," said Ginny, when they had reached the bottom of the stairs to the girl's dorms.

"Goodnight Ginny," said Harry, and then he gave Ginny a quick kiss. "I'll see you in the morning."

Ginny hurried up the stairs, practically glowing with happiness. Harry also headed up to his dorm, leaving Ron and Hermione alone together.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" asked Ron nervously.

"I had a wonderful time," answered Hermione. "What about you?"

"Yeah, it was good," said Ron.

Ron and Hermione kissed, and quickly broke apart blushing.

"Goodnight Ron," said Hermione, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Sweet dreams, 'Mione," said Ron, and they each headed to their dorms.

I think I'll end the story here, but I'll probably do a sequel because I had a lot of fun writing this!

Thank you so much to jeevesandwooster for your very kind reviews, you made writing this worthwhile!


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